Apple's T2 proving troublesome for some professional audio interface users

Macs equipped with Apple's T2 coprocessor are causing serious problems for some people using Thunderbolt and USB professional audio interfaces, whether for sound or video work.

Those affected by the issue are encountering dropouts, pops, and other similar issues with gear brands like Apogee, Focusrite, Native Instruments, Yamaha, RME, and MOTU, according to complaints on Reddit, Logic Pro Help, Apple's support forums, and elsewhere. USB interfaces have been the most commonly impacted, but trouble may manifest to a lesser extent with Thunderbolt hardware.

Apple is reportedly aware of the glitch, as are manufacturers like RME, which have linked the problem to macOS. The cause could have something to do with macOS' system time daemon, "timed," as some people have reported success by unloading it. The daemon returns once a Mac is rebooted, however.

For audio professionals the issue may make a Mac difficult to use in recording, and simply unusable for live performances. It isn't clear at present how many are impacted by the issue, as it does not manifest universally.

The T2 chip controls a variety of Mac subsystems, including boot and security functions. It has already been blamed for some other troubles, including kernel panics, Mojave installation errors, and interfering with third-party repairs.

Macs with the T2 chip include the iMac Pro and 2018 models of the Mac mini, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro. AppleInsider has reached out to hardware vendors and Apple regarding the matter, and has not as of yet received a response.

48 Comments

saarek 1578 comments · 16 Years

About 5 years ago

Another sign of Apple's quality control at its best! /s

I hope Apple can turn their quality issues, both software and hardware around soon. The old "It just works" has been a thing of the past for too long now.

Yes, I am aware that Apple's hardware and software was never perfect, but neither were they the clusterfuck of problems that they are now.

bsbeamer 77 comments · 16 Years

Is this what is also causing the Adobe Premiere Pro "blown speakers" audio problems on MacBook Pro, or are they two separate software related issued? I'm really starting to wondering if it's time to move to Windows for professional work. I bought the hype at the Intel processor shift and there were a few really great years, but things are not what they used to be.

22july2013 3725 comments · 11 Years

Neither Windows not macOS are Real Time operating systems. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Real-time_operating_system "A real-time operating system (RTOS) is any operating system (OS) intended to serve real-time applications that process data as it comes in, typically without buffer delays." Collecting and dispersing audio and video is a real time application. If you want guaranteed I/O then go get a RTOS: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_real-time_operating_systems or get a hardware recording device that doesn't use an operating system at all.

2old4fun 239 comments · 11 Years

saarek said:

Another sign of Apple's quality control at its best! /s

I hope Apple can turn their quality issues, both software and hardware around soon. The old "It just works" has been a thing of the past for too long now.

Yes, I am aware that Apple's hardware and software was never perfect, but neither were they the clusterfuck of problems that they are now.

Yes, and my 1957 Ford never had the power windows fail, never had an injector clog or an engine control computer malfunction like today's cars do. If you kept the points clean, timing set, regularly changed the spark plugs it just ran. Lets bring back the good old days!

Mike Wuerthele 6901 comments · 8 Years

bsbeamer said:

Is this what is also causing the Adobe Premiere Pro "blown speakers" audio problems on MacBook Pro, or are they two separate software related issued? I'm really starting to wondering if it's time to move to Windows for professional work. I bought the hype at the Intel processor shift and there were a few really great years, but things are not what they used to be.

Adobe Premiere Pro issues are happening because Adobe is playing fast and loose with hardware calls.

It's too early to tell specifically what's going on here, and this isn't the first time that an OS update has changed how audio gear works -- or doesn't.